Menu: Josselyn's 32nd Birthday Dinner

Josselyn and I have been best friends since college. This year I wanted to make her a tasting menu the way Wayne and I did for my parents' past 2 anniversaries. We enjoy doing it and it's a great way to make someone feel special. All of the recipes can be found here on the website. Just go up to the search window in the upper left and enter the name of the course/dish. The menu:

Starter

Crudite

Appetizer

Seared Scallops Wrapped in Bacon w/ Wayne's Brown Sugar Glaze

Intermezzo

Grapefruit Granita

Salad

Shaved Fennel & Arugula, Serrano, Tart Cherries, Deconstructed Vinaigrette of Orange Oil & Balsamic Reduction

**Picture to come**

Intermezzo

Sweet Orange Granita

Soup

Tom Kha Gai

Intermezzo

Pear Sorbet, Cardamom, Williams Pear Brandy

Main Course

Carpaccio of Filet Mignon, Lemon Remoulade

Intermezzo

Margarita Granita

Dessert

Fresh Mixed Berry Cobbler, Creme Anglaise

40th Anniversary 9 Course Tasting Menu

It was my parents 40th so I went all out. It's November so I wanted to stick to an autumn theme. I also wanted to give them the experience of going to a very fancy restaurant. So this is what I did. Every single component (including the juices & oils) was made by hand. It took about a week of research. A day of shopping. 3-4 nights of prep work. And finally about 2 full days of cooking. Worth. Every. Second. I included some pics at the bottom. Do this for someone you love and make them feel like the center of the universe!

-APPETIZERS-

cave-agued gruyere puffs, cranberry chutney

-SALAD-

arugula & fennel, serrano ham, pomegranate, balsamic reduction, orange oil

-INTERMEZZO-

pomegranate granita

-SOUP-

cream of cauliflower, candied ginger

-INTERMEZZO-

grapefruit granita

-SEAFOOD-

seared scallops, apple-onion marmalade, bacon, cider sauce

served with pinot grigio

-INTERMEZZO-

pear sorbet, cardamom

-MEAT-

pan-roasted beef tenderloin w/ rosemary & garlic, orange honey roasted baby carrots, celery root & potato puree

served with zinfindel

-DESSERT-

berry cobbler, creme anglaise

served with port

Gruyere Puffs:


Cranberry Chutney:

Salad:

Seafood:

Meat:

Dessert:

My Parents' 39th Anniversary Menu

Last year was my parents 39th anniversary and I decided to cook them dinner. I did 4 courses - soup, seafood, meat, dessert. Here it is below. Next week is their big 40th and I've decided to do an elaborate 8-course tasting menu. I don't have a clue if I can pull it off but I'll be posting the menu as well as all of the recipes on here.

First Course: Creamed Garlic Soup w/ crostini & fresh squeezed lemon juice

Second Course: Seared Bay Scallops, fennel puree, fleur de sel

Third Course: Country Pot Roast w/ turnips, carrots, potatoes & pan gravy

Fourth Course: Autumn Apple Spice Cake w/ caramel sauce, champagne

It was a massive hit, especially for my first try at a full menu made from scratch. It can only go up from here!